


I Was Yours to Hold

by abigailamidala



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avengers Facility, Car Accidents, Civil War doesn't happen, Darcy Feels, Darcy bakes a lot, F/M, Fluff, Healing, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Protective Bucky, Serious Injuries, Thor is on Asgard, some smut at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-15 13:53:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5787670
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abigailamidala/pseuds/abigailamidala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy gets into a car accident and stays in the common room to watch Netflix and nap as she heals. Bucky decides she needs to be kept comfortable and watches over her while she heals, even when she sleepwalks. And sleep bakes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Was Yours to Hold

**Author's Note:**

> As people have noticed (if you've read my other works), I am Darcy trash. This is my third fic with her in it, so hopefully my fellow Darcy shippers love it! Written mostly in class at school, edited myself so hopefully my grammar and wording is good. Also my first time writing smut. thanks! <3

                Darcy had decided on a late night drive. She had spent the past four days straight in the labs with Jane and Dr. Banner, making sure they were fed, cleaning up their chemical spills, and delivering coffee at set intervals. Dr. Banner preferred chamomile tea, since coffee seemed to speed his heartrate up to an uncomfortable rate. They had been working on a way to open the Einstein-Rosen Bridge from Earth, constructing a portal device that could access the bridge and let them cross into Asgard whenever need be. Darcy thought it was a terrible waste of time, but Jane was insistent since Thor had been gone for a few months (again).

                Darcy had borrowed one of the special Stark cars from the garage, using her access key to start up the engine with a purr. She peeled it out of the garage and away from the Avengers facility, her mind clearing the further she drove away. The Stark car had a self-driving option, but Darcy enjoyed the sharp turns in the winding roads; it kept her on her toes. The roads were icy today, in mid-January, keeping Darcy more alert than usual.

                She had gotten onto the interstate just fine, the Stark car leaving behind a trail of exhaust and tire tracks in the snow. The ride was smoother now, and she could see the skyline of New York City in the far distance. The night sky was lit in an orange glow, promising her an adventure.

                “Friday, bring up my playlist, please,” she tapped the car’s console lightly to wake up the AI.

                “Yes, Miss Lewis,” the feminine voice said politely. _Darcy’s Super Driving Playlist That Steve and Natasha Never Listen To_ started up with “What is Love.” Darcy sang along, bobbing her head with the music.

                Darcy had closed her eyes momentarily as the next song started, opening them just in time to see a trio of deer on the road. Darcy hit the brakes, the Stark car’s tires skidding on the ice. The deer bounded off the road, and Darcy tried to steady the car. The car hit a patch of black ice, sending her flying off the pavement. The Stark car hit the ditch diagonally, causing it to flip a few times. Darcy’s head hit the driver’s side window, the airbag deploying on the second flip.

                Darcy was unconscious. The Stark car sent out a report back to the Avengers facility, a red alert coming up on all of the monitors in the building and everyone’s’ phones.

                _STARK CAR 25 DOWN. SENDING COORDINATES. LEWIS DOWN. UNCONSCIOUS BUT ALIVE. MEDICAL ATTENTION NEEDED._

                The team was out the door instantly.

                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                Darcy woke up in the medical wing. She only knew that because Jane had managed to land herself in the same wing multiple times due to her experiments. Darcy had stayed with Jane, making sure that the mad scientist stayed in bed while she healed. Jane had never succeeded at staying still for long, so Dr. Cho had to lightly sedate her.

                But Darcy was in the wing this time, with an IV in her arm and she was intubated. She choked slightly around it, trying to cough. Her heartrate monitor beeped louder, alerting Dr. Cho that she was awake. A nurse came around and removed the rube, giving Darcy a Dixie cup of water once it was out.

                “Ah, Darcy. How are you feeling?” Dr. Cho’s small form came through the door, Darcy’s chart in hand. Her black hair was tied back into a knot at the back of her head, leaving her pretty Korean features on display. She smiled genuinely, since she had come to know everyone at the Avengers’ facility.

                “Groggy,” Darcy croaked, her throat raw. She tried to shift in the bed, letting out a quiet hiss as pain shot from her ribs up to her head. “What happened?”

                “Well, according to the Stark car’s camera, you tried to avoid hitting some deer and wound up in the ditch. You’re lucky, really.”

                “Is the car okay?”

                “You’re kidding, right?” Wanda’s European accent sounded from the doorway, her dark eyes glinting with amusement. She stepped into the room past Dr. Cho (or Helen, as they all came to know her as) and sat at the chair beside Darcy’s bed. “Darc-ee, you are worrying about the car? Stark car, which is cost millions of dollars? Stark will not even notice. He will be glad to hear of you’re alive.”

                “I’m not even an Avenger, Wanda, I can’t get away with destruction here.” Darcy smiled, trying not to laugh as taking a deep breath hurt enough.

                “You’re damn right,” Steve stepped into the room, still half in his ridiculous Cap gear. He had removed the jacket, leaving him in the pants and boots, leaving his top half in a white t-shirt that was way too tight.

                “Hey Dorito,” Darcy smiled.

                “Don’t ‘hey, Dorito’ me, Darce. You’ve got a concussion, broken ribs, bruised collar, fractured hip and your arm is shattered to shit.” Steve berated her, crossing his arms as he stood (or rather, towered) beside Helen. “You don’t get away with destruction of yourself, but otherwise you’re golden. Just keep your little self out of harm’s way, the team needs you.”

                “Please,” Darcy flicked a hand upwards, noticing the colourful cast on her right arm. “You could have anyone to bake pies and cakes,”

                “Not anyone Darce,” Steve smiled slightly. He walked up to the other side of her hospital bed and leaned over to kiss her forehead lightly. Darcy relaxed. She and Steve had become close in the past few years, allowing them to form a strange familial bond. He became like a giant brother she never had. “Get some rest. You’ve got a lot of healing to do.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                Darcy had made her home on the longest couch in the common room. She had taken up residence there almost every day since she was released from medical. Helen had cleared her only two days later, since Darcy had complained that she was bored and the television in her room didn’t have a Netflix app. The team still thinks Darcy should have stayed in medical for a few more days.

                Darcy had been prescribed some powerful painkillers, ones that made her sleepy within a half hour and made her see stars every time she had tried to stay awake through its effect. Tony had sent over a smaller version of Dummy to cater to Darcy’s needs while she was incapacitated. It kept a detailed schedule of when she had to take her pills, how much water she needed to drink, and when she should eat. Friday had been set up in a special Stark app for Darcy’s phone so that Darcy could order snacks and alerted Smaller Dummy when she needed to pee. Dummy would sent out alerts to the nearest Avengers or to random staff in order to help her up from the couch.

                Most of the time though, Darcy slept. She turned on Netflix on the giant flat screen for background noise and every once in a while opened her eyes to see what was playing next. Dummy sat quietly at the end of the couch, unmoving for hours at a time until Darcy awoke or needed to take some more drugs.

                Bucky Barnes had entered the common room on the third day of Darcy being on the couch. He had passed through to get some water after a sparring session with Natasha and noticed a movie playing quietly on the screen. He sat at the far end of the common room, sitting ramrod straight on the edge of the lazy boy he had chosen. Darcy shifted slightly, her ribs impeding how much she moved and she cried out softly in pain. Bucky hadn’t even noticed her until then, his senses heightening as he noticed the young female. He moved silently over to her, recognizing Darcy instantly.

**Darcy Lewis. 24. Hometown: Middle of Nowhere, New Mexico. Graduated with Honors at Culver University. Major: Political Science. Minors: Astrophysics, Astronomy. Certificate in Culinary Arts. Ally to Thor. Friend and Lab Assistant to Dr. Jane Foster, Ph.D. Friend to Avengers. Apt in programming and chemistry. Hobbies include “pop culture”, baking, making sure the scientists don’t blow themselves up. Threat level: minimal (has a Taser concealed and frightens Captain America when angry). Importance: high.**

                Bucky had seen Darcy’s profile when Steve brought him to the facility. He had memorized the profiles of everyone on staff, and of every team member. It gave him a sense of security. He had seen Darcy around the facility, usually with a tray of mugs and food for the scientists. He had stayed out of her way after he witnessed an unfortunate incident involving a clumsy intern and apple pie on the floor. The intern was made to be Darcy’s “bitch” for a week in order to get back in her good graces.

                Darcy Lewis was obviously very important in the eyes of the Avengers, and to Steve, and so she would become important to Bucky.

**Mission accepted: Keep Darcy Lewis out of danger. Comfortable when necessary.**

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                Bucky came by once or twice a day to check on Darcy. Sometimes she was awake, most times not. When she was asleep, he draped a large fuzzy blanket over her and fluffed her pillows. He sat at the far end of the room at first, but every day moved closer when he heard Darcy groan in pain during sleep. He watched Darcy more than the movies she had left on, making sure she kept breathing. Steve had walked in once on him intently watching Darcy, a smile on his smug, golden face. He patted Bucky’s shoulder. “She’s past the point of not breathing, Buck. She’s healing up nicely.”

                “Something still could go wrong. What if someone’s not here when it does?”

                “Buck,” Steve laughed, clapping his friend on the back. His friend had opened up a lot recently due to Darcy, even if she didn’t know it yet. Bucky had double-checked, even triple-checked the security measures in the building daily. He had set safety measures in the common room and had Jane check the programming in Smaller Dummy so that it was protected against hacking. He had gone over a safety check with Steve at the end of every day, ending the checks by carrying Darcy back to her apartment. He tucked her in safely and arranged her pillows around her in a way that she found comfortable.

                “Something you wanna tell me, punk?” Steve had asked Bucky after the first night. He had been watching Bucky intently, making sure that Darcy was handled gently, and watching Bucky’s expressions.

                Bucky shook his head, his long locks falling into his face. “Nah, just found myself another mission.”

                “Which is?”

                “Keeping Darcy safe from harm, from pain. To keep the Avengers together, one must keep her safe.”

                                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                Darcy had started to sleepwalk. It had been two weeks since she was released from the medical wing and her painkiller dosage had been lowered so that she could adjust to the pins in her right arm. Due to her groggy state, she had called for assistance more often so that she could get up off the couch. She wasn’t always completely awake, so Bucky silently tailed her in case she would trip or walk towards a wall. She muttered a few unintelligible words each time Bucky guided her out of harm’s way, her right arm waving him off. He continued to follow her around. She didn’t seem to notice.

                One morning as Bucky made his early security checks, he found Darcy sitting at the island in the common kitchens. Netflix was still on nearby on the giant screen, and Darcy had synched up the flat screen in the kitchen to stream her movie in the kitchen as well.

                “You’re up early, Doll.” Bucky walked to the fridge, pulling out one of the protein smoothies that Steve tended to make. Today’s concoction was bananas and kale. It was disgusting. Bucky placed the abomination back into the fridge.

                “Barnes, nlksnfmmmm bake,” Darcy mumbled, her eyes only slightly open now that Bucky took a good look at the woman. She was still in her pajamas, which consists of an oversized, holey grey t-shirt and bright blue short shorts. She had one sock on still on her left foot. Her hair had been hastily tied back into a ponytail, but her waves still flowed over her shoulder. She had never looked more beautiful before.

                “Say what?” Bucky cleared his throat. He could feel his face and ears heating up. Darcy didn’t seem to take any notice.

                “Barnes.” Darcy flailed her arms slightly, wincing when her right arm moved too quickly. “Mmmmhelp hjfelkjn bake.”

                Darcy wanted to bake. “Doll, maybe we should wait until you’re all healed up.”

                “What’s going on?” Natasha snuck up beside Bucky, soundless as ever. He would have started but he was constantly vigilant. Natasha had been already to the gym, her skin covered in a light sheen of sweat.

                “Lewis wants to bake,”

                “Good,” Natasha grinned. Her grins were never a good sign. “You could help her. We’ve gone for too long around here without a good pie.” And then she was gone. And Darcy was getting into the cupboards, pulling out random ingredients.

                “Whoa, whoa,” Bucky was at her side instantly, transferring the ingredients from Darcy’s hands to the island in the middle of the kitchen. She pulled out flour, sugar, some vanilla, a can of peas, and a jar of chunky peanut butter.

                “Uhh, Friday?”

                “Yes, Sargent Barnes?”

                “Do you have a record of Darcy’s most used recipes?”

                By this point Darcy was pulling bowls out of the lower cupboards, groaning quietly at the pain in her ribs. Bucky rushed to her side and got her to stand up straight and she pointed out which bowls to bring out.

                “Miss Lewis tends to go off book, but I can bring up recipes of what she usually makes. For your use, of course.”

                “Thank you, Friday.” Bucky had filled the island’s countertop full of cooking tools and ingredients by this point. Darcy had situated herself on one of the bar stools and had begun to measure out flour. Her coordination was off and some of the flour from her measuring cup had fallen to the floor. Bucky absolutely had to help her at this point.

                “Bring up the recipes on the TV screen, please.”

                “Of course, Sargent Barnes.”

                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                Darcy had woken up sometimes when they baked, bewildered of the fact that Bucky had been mixing some concoction he had gotten from the kitchen screen.

                “Barnes!”

                “Darcy?” he looked up in shock, stopping instantly what he was doing.

                “You’ve overmixed it! We’ll have to start over,” she pulled the bowl away from him by then, throwing out the dough that Bucky had been working on and began measuring out new ingredients. “Why are you here anyways?”

                “You asked me to be,” Bucky stood back as she started to rush around, making sure that everything was in the proper places that she liked. “You needed help.”

                “Well stick around, I might need some yet.”

                “Yes ma’am.” Bucky smiled, schooling his features before taking position at her side.

                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                “Barnes…” Darcy had called out quietly in the middle of _Shaun of the Dead_ , bringing Bucky to her side in an instant. He had begun sitting at the other end of the couch now, with her feet propped up on her lap. He had started sitting there after their baking sessions, so that if she fell asleep again in the kitchen, he could keep an eye on her easier.

                “What’s up Doll?” he knelt beside her, fluffing the pillow under her head carefully. Heat radiated off of her in waves.

                “I’m cold,” she shivered, her eyes clenching shut. She pulled the blanket around her closer, up to her chin. Bucky placed a hand upon her forehead lightly.

                “Doll, you’re burning up. Let me get you some –“He was cut off by Darcy leaning over the side of the couch and throwing up at his feet. “Friday, call for Dr. Cho, please.”

                “Right on it, Sargent Barnes.”

                Bucky got up to get some paper towel to clean the floor, grabbing one of the empty waste baskets and passing it to Darcy. She vomited into it almost immediately. “Hang on, Darce.” He wiped the floor with the paper towel, his strong stomach doing him well. He used to take care of Steve all the time when he got sick, before the serum. It’s a good thing his mother was a nurse.

                Helen Cho had arrived within a few minutes, after Darcy’s fourth or fifth round into the waste basket. By this point she was shaking and pale. A few nurses had come in behind her with a gurney, ready to take Darcy to the medical wing. Steve slipped in behind them, in full gear. He tossed Bucky his jacket as Helen and the nurses hoisted Darcy onto the gurney. Bucky caught the jacket in mid-air and pulled it on quickly, following Darcy into the elevator. Steve followed suit.

                “We’ve got a mission, Buck. I want you to come with us.” Steve said quietly, adjusting his gloves. Bucky shook his head instantly and followed Dr. Cho out once the elevator got to the medical wing.

                “Can’t, Steve. Someone’s got to stay with the girl,” Steve gripped Bucky’s arm, stopping him in his tracks. Even with Bucky’s own serum, Steve was stronger than him.

                “Buck, it’s Hydra,” his tone dropped in tone, the absolution in the statement resonating within Bucky. He felt the Winter Soldier at the back of his mind, trying to push through to his consciousness.

                “Someone get me a crash cart, her pulse is getting weaker!” Dr. Cho called out, the heart rate monitor that Darcy had been hooked up to slowing. Bucky’s stomach dropped.

                “Bucky,” Steve pulled him away, towards the elevator. “There’s nothing you can do here. Let Helen do her work.”

                Bucky put his hand up against the glass as the elevator rose. Dr. Cho and the nurses had brought over a crash cart and were prepping the defibrillator. Bucky felt his breath catch. He let the Winter Soldier take over the forefront of his mind, putting him into mission mode. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

               

                “Cap, Hawkeye, get over here. I’ve found more civilians.” Tony Stark’s ( _ally_ ) voice rang out over the comms. Their mission for the past day and a half was to protect civilians in London. A small group of Hydra agents had been taking hostages at Cambridge University, trying to get information about the portals that had been opened during Thor’s last escapade there. A few dozen of them held hostages: a handful of Ph.D. students, going over footage of the incident and listening to theories of the Convergence. A new player in the Hydra ranks seemed eager to replicate the event.

                Bucky had been in charge of locating and evacuating the Ph.D. students. Around a dozen of Hydra lackeys had recognized the Winter Soldier due to the arm, and had started to shoot on sight. Bucky’s armor had kept him safe and he had taken out each of the agents easily. In Soldier-mode, as Steve had called it, he could focus on the mission.

                The Winter Soldier didn’t worry about anything except the mission; he didn’t worry about Darcy back home in the facility. _Darcy…_ The Soldier found it too easy to complete the mission, following the voices of each Hydra idiot to the room where the students were kept. The Soldier took out the agents in the room and undid the zip ties on each of the students. They were lead to safety to by the Scarlet Witch ( _ally)._

                Steve ( _friend_ ) and Natasha ( _Natalia_ ) had assisted him with the extraction before Steve had to go back in to bring out more scared students.

                “Дарси будет в порядке. Доктор Чо прислал мне текст сегодня утром.” _Darcy is going to be fine. Dr. Cho sent me a text earlier today._ Natasha stayed at his side as he stretched out his arm. One of the Hydra goons had knocked out of the discs out of alignment. Stark ( _ally_ ) would have to look into it later.

                “Что это было?” _What was it?_ The Winter Soldier pulled away slightly at the mention of Darcy. He had tried not to think of her all day; he didn’t need the image of her being shocked back to life distracting him from the mission.

                “Anaphylaxis,” Nat, switching to English as Steve ( _friend_ ) and Clint AKA Hawkeye ( _ally_ ) returned to the Quinjet. “She had developed a sensitivity to the painkillers she was taking and hadn’t said anything until it was too late. The poor girl’s too stubborn sometimes.”

                “I should’ve known,” Bucky muttered, running his flesh fingers through his locks, which were matted in sweat and dust by now.

                “There was nothing you could’ve done, Barnes,” Clint groaned as he made his way to the pilot’s seat. “No one knows anything about Darcy unless Darcy says so. It’s always been that way. The fact that she told you by that point was a good thing.”

                Bucky nodded. He was anxious now to finish their mission, and so he let the Winter Soldier take over again. They spent the better part of the next three days doing clean up, ensuring that the Hydra agents still on site were taken in by the proper authorities, and returning the students to their families (with proper PTSD counsellors available for them to talk to). Bucky stayed in Winter Soldier mode for the remainder of the mission, and for a majority of the ride back to home base.

                They spent another day in debriefing, which Bucky found boring (the Winter Soldier felt the same), and Stark spent a fair few hours tinkering with his arm before heading back into the city. His arm felt better afterwards, which helped him get through the medical work up. By the time he was done, he walked around the medical wing in order to find Darcy. He could feel the last bits of the Winter Soldier fading away, leaving him with exhaustion, both mentally and physically.

                She was in the far corner in a secluded room. There were windows on each wall, facing out to the trees that surrounded the Avengers facility. Darcy was sitting up in her bed with her phone when Bucky entered the room. Her expressions when she saw him started out with shock, then switched to concern for a moment.

                “Barnes! You’re back,” Darcy smiled. She put her phone down on the table beside her, the IV in her hand making the action clumsy.

                “Call me Bucky from now on, please, Doll.” Bucky smiled weakly, shuffling over to her. “Now scooch.”

                Darcy smiled, moving to the side of her bed and patting the free space. “What’s up, Bucky?” Bucky climbed up onto the bed beside her, laying back. Shifting onto his side, he threw his arm around her and settled in.

                “Just home now,” Bucky muttered, letting himself relax, the last bits of the Winter Soldier melting away into the far reaches of his mind. He felt sleep take over him as Darcy began stroking his arm. “Home now.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                Bucky had baked a pie. An actual pie. He slaved in the kitchen all morning until it came out exactly as Darcy would have made it. He had woken up early that morning, leaving Darcy sound asleep in the medical wing. One of the nurses noticed him sneaking out and smiled when he realized he had been spotted. He pulled up his hood and jogged to the elevator, prompting Friday to take him to the main kitchen.

                The Vision had come in halfway through the process, watching quietly at the table until Bucky spoke. “How did you tell Wanda about how you feel about her?”

                “I didn’t,” Vision spoke blandly, his British accent still apparent from Jarvis’ matrix. “She felt it in me. She said she felt it like a wave when I entered the room, or that the room seemed brighter when we were together.”

                “That’s romantic,” Bucky had been kneading the dough he was going to use for the shell.

                “On the contrary, it was very logical. Wanda’s power allows her to feel or see what I do, she’s much attuned to my point of view. When I see her, everything around her seems to fade out as she is my main focus. My consciousness reaches out to her and links with her each time, which is what she feels. It took her some time to figure out why. And we’ve been together ever since.” The android floated over to Bucky’s side, studying his technique. “Knead it lighter, you’re using too much strength from your metal arm. And tell Darcy how you feel, you will not regret it.”

                Bucky had taken the pie to the medical wing. His flesh hand was shaking slightly from nerves, so he held the pie with his metal hand. He had made the filling with blueberries and strawberries (Darcy’s personal favourite) and had carved a heart into the surface of the shell topping. Inside the heart was a ‘D’, which Bucky knew Darcy would make a joke about later on.

                Darcy was awake when Bucky came into the room, pie hidden behind his back. Her hospital bed was tilted upwards so that she could watch the television mounted on the wall by the windows. Steve told him that she insisted it be mounted where the sun couldn’t glare off of the screen and was still visible when the sun was setting or rising. She had a field day with the nurses, ordering them around and changing her mind on where she wanted it every few minutes. Those two nurses had transferred patients after that day. Darcy laughed about it still.

                “Hey Barnes,”

                “Darcy, what’d I tell you?” He felt himself smiling in return, walking over to the chair beside her bed. She bit her lower lip slightly, holding in a laugh that probably would’ve hurt her ribs.

                “Sorry. Bucky. What’s up?”

                “I brought you a little something. It took me a while to whip up,”

                Darcy’s eyes lit up. She shifted slightly to face him better, face screwing up a fraction as she adjusted the pillow behind her. “What is it? Did you bring me an algorithm to heal me faster? A super-secret soldier serum?”

                “No,” he laughed, bringing out the plate from behind him and placing it on the wheelie table by her elbow. “I made you a pie. Your favourite, too.”

                “Oh, no. Now you’ve done it.” Darcy’s tone became serious, but Bucky had come to realize that she was making a sarcastic comment. He had heard enough bickering from her and Steve to find out. Steve wasn’t perceptive enough to Darcy’s form of sarcasm, Bucky was.

                “Well Darce, I don’t think you’d do well as a super soldier, you’d be too clumsy and cute, and no one would take you seriously.”

                “But then that’s my secret weapon, so the enemy would be caught off guard and my punches would be more effective.” Darcy pulled the small table over her lap and smiled down at the pastry, tracing her finger around the carved-in heart. “What’s this?”

                “My special signature,” Bucky shrugged his shoulders, his heart starting to race. He had taken Vision’s advice, sort of. He had been good with words back in the day, and could convey whatever he wanted through charm and a smile, but with Darcy it had been different. She never seemed impressed by much, with what she had seen with the Avengers. She had gone out with Ian, a British intern, but the lad had never seemed to amaze her past saving her life once.

                “So you love the D?” She stifled a laugh, using a small spoon she had hidden in her gown’s pocket to dig into the pie, right in the middle of the ‘D’. Bucky hung his head a bit, sighing. It was the exact joke he had expected her to make. He let out a defeated laugh, running a hand through his hair nervously.

                “I’m fairly fond of the D.” he started out slowly. “I uhh,” he laughed, looking at her as she put a spoonful of blueberries into her mouth. “I just never knew how fond, until I saw you with paddles on your chest.” His chest ached at the memory, so distant even though it hadn’t happened all that long ago.

                “So I seduced you with my broken ribs and constant naps?”  Darcy smiled, shoveling another spoonful of pie into her mouth.

                “And the sleepwalking.” Bucky smiled, leaning over and stealing Darcy’s next spoon full of pie crust and strawberries, eliciting a high pitch squeak of pure shock from her.

                “Bucky! Why, I never.”

                “Sorry, doll. Had to taste the fruits of my labour.”

                “Was it worth it?” Darcy smiled, brushing pie crumbs off of her bed and patting the space beside her. Bucky happily took up residence, tucking an arm behind her head and pulling her in close to him. He placed a kiss upon her head lightly and closed his eyes.

                “Of course.”

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                Darcy went back to watching movies on Netflix and napping on the couch within a few days, with one exception: Bucky. He had become her pillow, and occasionally her teddy bear. Darcy had been put on new painkillers and some antibiotics to deal with her anaphylaxis. Her ribs were nearly back to normal and her fever had broken, so Darcy had convinced Helen to release her back into the wild. Helen came by daily to check on her, even when Darcy was passed out across Bucky’s lap.

                Darcy had developed a habit of holding onto Bucky’s arm while she slept, and she tended to grab the metal one without any hesitation. It unnerved him at first, since no one ever seemed that comfortable with it. But Darcy latched right on and he used his thumb to stroke her cheek lightly. She always smiled when he did, and shifted positions so that his leg would fall asleep every time. He started to think she did it on purpose.

                “Darcy,” Bucky lifted a lock of hair away from Darcy’s eyes, speaking just above a whisper so not to bother Bruce’s meditation or Wanda and Vision’s cuddling across the room. “Doll, wake up.”

                “Hm?” she groaned, stretching out her arms above her head.

                “I’m gonna move you to your room, make you more comfortable.” Bucky said quietly, giving her just enough warning before he scooped her up in his arms and stood. “Good evening, all.” He called out to the other three in the common room. Bruce waved slightly, whereas Wanda and Vision were caught up in their usual telepathic conversations. Darcy’s arm flopped in a sort of wave as they were off.

                “How are you feeling, Darce?” Bucky smiled as he held her close to his chest in the elevator. She smiled like roses and cinnamon, a usually odd mix but it worked for her. He enjoyed the scent of her, the soft give of her skin, and her smile.

                “Like a million bucks,”

                “Well you look like a billion,”

                Friday let them into her apartment without any prompt, and Bucky used his foot to close the door behind them.

                “Sorry ‘bout the mess,” Darcy giggled as he set her down on her mattress, her voice still heavy with sleep. Bucky shook his head and fluffed the pillows around her, propping her up just the way she liked it.

                “Darcy Something Lewis, I don’t care about your mess of an apartment. Have you seen Steve’s? He’s a neat freak. To the point that it’s scary to even sit down on the couch.”

                “I didn’t mean my place… I meant me,” That stopped Bucky in his movements. He looked down to her, the moonlight from the window illuminating her full lips and large blue eyes perfectly. “I’m a mess, Barnes. You didn’t have to take care of me all of this time.” Bucky started to protest but Darcy shushed him with a small pat on the chest. “You were there, from the beginning, and you didn’t have to be. We barely knew each other. And you helped me, kept me safe. Kept me comfortable. I appreciated it. And my middle name is Maria.”

                “Well, since you’re so obviously awake and eloquent now, I’ll tell you this. _Darcy Maria Lewis_ , you are important. I knew that from the moment I met you, and since I read your file. You are the crazy glue that keeps this team together, be it when you keep the Science Bros. alive or when you bake an amazing batch of pies in the middle of the night. Your importance jump-started a mission for me: Keep you safe, and comfortable. You became my mission.” Bucky smiled, taking Darcy’s hand and kissing the palm lightly. “In more ways than one.”

                Darcy smiled, her smiled almost glowing in the moonlight. “Steve was right, you do have a way with words.” She sat up without hesitation or difficulty, surprising Bucky. “But mission accomplished, soldier, you’ve kept me safe.”

                “So far,” Bucky said quietly, leaning in and kissing her forehead lightly. “I’ll let you sleep now.”

                “No!” Darcy grabbed his hand before he could get far from the bed. She had grabbed his flesh hand this time, her skin warm against his own. He could feel her pulse, and it was racing. “I… I can’t sleep without you.”

                Bucky turned back to look at her, mouth open wide in shock. He felt the air in the room shift as she held onto him, sitting up on her knees on the bed. Her hair was still tousled from constant napping. Her t-shirt had hiked up a bit, revealing the shorts she usually wore to bed. In the light from the window, her skin was milky white and smooth, perfect even. She was perfect to him, and he now recognized what exactly he had been feeling for so long.

                “Bucky… Please, I can’t sleep unless I feel you there too. It’s a bit of a problem now,” she pursed her lips, and Bucky could see right through her. She had nightmares too. Which was why she had stayed up late so many nights baking, why Netflix was constantly on in the background as she napped. Why she insisted on sleeping in the common room after the car crash. It kept them at bay.

                “Of course, Darcy. Of course,” he breathed, climbing back onto the bed. He toed off his jeans and crawled in beside her, arranging the pillows between them just enough for all of her sore spots. Darcy settled back into bed, laying down to face him and pulling the comforter up to cover them.

                “Thanks, Barnes.”

                “Of course, doll, now get some sleep.”

                “Will you be here in the morning?”

                “Of course.”

                                                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                As per Darcy’s request, Bucky stayed with her at night. Most of the time she held his hand (his metal one) but on occasion he woke up to find her curled up against his side, head on his chest. When he found Darcy on his chest, he’d stay awake and watch her. She tended to sleep with her lips parted slightly, letting a soft whistle out through her teeth. He always stroked her arm lightly, especially when she groaned in her sleep, when unintelligible words being spoken.

                “I think I love you,” Bucky whispered to her in the middle of the night. He let out a shallow breath and kissed the top of her head. He closed his eyes again, feeling a weight lift off of his chest, almost literally.

                Actually literally. Darcy had been awake. She lifted her head and looked at him until Bucky opened his eyes again. “I think I love you too, Barnes.”

                Bucky felt himself smile in the dark, his heart pounding as Darcy shifted her weight to lean over him. He could feel her hair fall down over her shoulder and touch his flesh arm. The air in the room had definitely shifted, and Bucky could almost feel Darcy’s heart pounding.

                “Mission accomplished,” He said in a whisper as he leaned up to meet Darcy’s lips in the middle. Her lips were soft and yielding, and tasted like the Chap Stick she was constantly applying. His lips moved with hers slowly, and Darcy’s breath caught as he flipped them, her body pinned beneath his as he settled at her hips. She hooked a leg around his hip and grinned, her smile radiant in the light from the window.

                “Finally,” Darcy sighed as Bucky feathered her jawline with the lightest kisses he could manage. He took both of her hands in his and lifted them above her head, leaving her at his mercy. He smiled against her neck before kissing further. He found a particular sweet spot near her collarbone that made her cry out softly, egging him on. “Bucky, please...”

                Her soft gasps and pleading whispers stoked a fire in his belly that could not be put out any time soon now, and he felt himself growing harder against her inner thigh. Bucky abandoned her hands and lowered them to the hem of Darcy’s t-shirt. He hoisted himself up onto his knees and lifted the soft, worn fabric slowly, his fingers skimming over her sides lightly. Darcy squirmed, a choked giggle escaping her lips. “No! Please don’t, not now.”

                “Okay, doll,” he smiled, pushing up the shirt farther. Darcy sat up to help him pull it off, and she tossed it over the side of the bed. She hadn’t been wearing a bra underneath, baring her D cup breasts to Bucky with no hesitation. Bucky groaned at the back of his throat, and pushed Darcy to lay back again. His lips found her right nipple, latching on as he began to circle his tongue around the perky nub. Darcy moaned in response, small breathy moans. His metal hand gently twisted and toyed with her left nipple, leaving his flesh hand to hold her against him.

                Darcy arched her back, trying to reach him. Her hips rocked upwards, grazing the bulge in his boxers. He groaned, feeling the fire in his belly grow hotter. “God, doll...” he switched sides to pay some much needed attention to Darcy’s left nipple with his mouth. He could feel her skin grow warmer to his touch, and her moans were not helping him to keep focused.

                “Bucky, please...” Darcy’s moans became more insistent, and she reached down to trace the line of his erection under the thin material. Bucky gasped, using his metal arm to brace himself again the bed and keep him up. He reached down and felt both the material of Darcy’s shorts and the cotton panties beneath. Using a bit more strength then needed, he pulled, tearing the garments off of Darcy with a rip.

                Tossing her bottoms over his shoulder only spurred Darcy further, her hand reaching into his boxers. Bucky lowered his head to Darcy’s shoulder, her soft hands touching him in the exact way he had not been touched for a while. He moaned softly into her shoulder, his hips thrusting into her hand slowly to meet her pace.

                “You like that, soldier?” Darcy’s voice was soft against his ear, her free hand pushing his boxers down off his hips as she worked him.

                “Yes, ma’am.” Bucky felt himself close already, putting a hand over hers to stop her motions. “Darcy, it’s been a while. I’m not ready to be finished yet.”

                “Good,” Darcy laughed. “Because I’m not nearly done with you yet, now that I’ve just got you.”

                “You’ve always had me, doll.” Bucky kicked off his boxers, his hands pulling Darcy closer as he knelt before her. He reached down to touch her, finding her dripping wet already. “And from the looks of it, I now have you right where I want you.”

                “Take me wherever you want, soldier.” Darcy smiled, catching her lower lip between her teeth in anticipation.

                Bucky leaned forward, spreading Darcy’s legs as he slowly pushed into her. She was warm and so wet, and took him in better than he had ever dreamed. He let out a long groan as he pushed himself in to the base, Darcy’s higher pitched moans mingling with his own. He pulled back slightly before pushing back in again, eliciting another moan from each of them.

                “Darce, holy shit... You’ve no idea how long I’ve wanted this for.” Bucky gasped as he eased himself into a slow rhythm. Darcy whimpered in response, her head nodding in the dark. Bucky smiled, and moved his hands to her hips to keep a steady pace.

                Darcy felt like heaven, and Bucky would die a million times so that they could be right the way they were now. He began to speed up, feeling Darcy squeeze around him every so often. Her moans were quiet, but they pushed him to keep going. She reached up, hands on his shoulders and pulling him closer. He leaned in, allowing her arms to wrap about his neck. This prompted him to speed up further, using his hands to brace himself beside her.

                “Buckyyyy...” she groaned, her muscles clenching around him, tightening as she came closer to her climax. Bucky reached down and lifted Darcy’s leg slightly, shifting the angle of his thrusts. He felt himself come closer as well, driving himself home into Darcy. She was home to him.

                Darcy’s sounds heightened in pitch as she came, and Bucky came with her, unloading into her until they were spent. He collapsed beside her, pulling her into his side.

                “’Bout time you made an honest woman out of me, Barnes.” Darcy smiled, placing small kisses against his chest.

                “I’ll make an honest woman out of you anytime you want, doll.”

                “How about once more tonight?”

                                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                A year later, Clint Barton had released photos of Darcy and Bucky to the public. The public meaning everyone in the Avengers Facility. Most of the pictures were tame, including those of Darcy asleep at the kitchen island with Bucky covered in flour, vigorously mixing batter for cake. Others were not so tame, like when Darcy and Bucky made out on the conference room table. The picture included Darcy’s hand in Bucky’s pants and her shirt undone to show a massive amount of cleavage. Most of the photos were taken from above, undoubtedly from Clint’s favourite hiding spots in the vents. He had been sneaking shots of them for over a year now, since Darcy’s accident.

                _Emergency meeting. Everyone in the common room. You too, Clint. NOW. – D_

                Darcy had been informed of the “leaked” photos when Natasha had broken into her apartment with the envelope full of the shots, one in particular in her hand. She had first hugged Darcy from behind when Darcy was sitting at the table with a bowl of cereal.

                “Whoa. Physical affection, hugging. What’s up, Nat?” She had turned in her chair, spoon still in hand. Natasha had just handed over the photo, Darcy’s eyes brow furrowing instantly.

                “Barton,” she growled under her breath. “Let me finish my food here first, then I’m calling a family meeting.”

                “Of course, дорогой.” _Of course, my dear._

                It took about twenty minutes for Darcy to find pajamas that were presentable for the team. Some of her tank tops had become too tight in the bust area recently, so she threw on a sweatshirt over top. She wore her favourite winter pajama pants, those she had sewn herself with a pattern that had both red stars and snowflakes on it. Bucky wasn’t a fan of them at first, but became fond of them when Darcy had worn them out in the common areas. They had been together for a year now, officially.

                “Darcy, what is this? We were just getting ready for mission.” Wanda stalked into the common area. She wasn’t in her gear, but was in the process of putting on civilian clothes. She had put on a blonde wig over her dark locks and had stuck a ball cap over top.

                “A very important one, as I may add.” The Vision floated in behind her. Well not floated, but it always seemed that way with how graceful his movements were. Try as he might, his movements weren’t human-like enough to fool the team, much less the general public. Darcy suspected that Wanda would keep in contact with Vision while she went out, Vision left in the facility.

                “It’s come to my attention that Clint has been circulating some photos.” Darcy started off, shifting from foot to foot, Bucky sitting behind her in his favourite lazy boy. He was on the edge of his seat, ready to give it up in case Darcy got too tired. “Which is no doubt, the worst way to start off a first year anniversary for me.”

                Clint was grinning, perched on the back of the sofa. “I thought it was a wonderful gift, for everyone at least.”

                “It wasn’t your gift to give, Barton! Damn it.” Darcy huffed, gesturing for Bucky to stand up. “But now you all know.”

                Bucky smiled finally, taking Darcy’s hand in his and kissed her palm softly. Darcy lifted the one photo she cared about in the entire stack Natasha had showed her: a copy of an ultrasound. Darcy smiled as well, her eyes taking in every detail in the small life in the photo.

                “I was going to wait until we knew the sex, but who cares now. Bucky and I are going to have a baby!”

                                                                ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                Little Rebecca Winter Barnes had been born six months later. Darcy had gone into labour during an Avengers mission, her water breaking as soon as Bucky (her now husband) gave word to her that they were on their way back. Everyone had skipped debriefing to meet their niece, the newest member of the Avengers family. Rebecca was born at 7 lb. 10 oz. with big blue eyes rimmed with thick lashes and a head full of dark hair.

                Bucky stayed with Darcy and Rebecca in the medical wing that night. The entire floor had been rearranged to include a maternity ward now, with an obstetrician and pediatrician hired since Darcy had announced her pregnancy. Darcy had requested an extra wide bed be made for when she delivered, which gave Bucky enough room to lay down beside her, their infant daughter nestled between them as she slept.

                Bucky stayed awake for most of the night, letting little Rebecca hold onto his finger as she slept. He smiled, kissing her tiny hand. Rebecca already had such a big hold on his heart. That was fine with him, as he was hers to hold.

 


End file.
